FX's Divisive 'Tyrant' Still Talking With Muslim GroupsExecutive producer Howard Gordon attends TCA with policy experts to shed more light on the ongoing dialogue surrounding the show's portrayal of the Middle East and the depiction of sexual abuse in the pilot.

One month into its run, Tyrant was trotted out by FX for a second visit with the Television Critics Association — after many of its members gave the drama a cool reception for both the pilot episode's treatment of female characters and its depiction of the Middle East.

Executive producer Howard Gordon, joined onstage by five experts in Arab and Muslim relations and policy, took the opportunity to discuss the rather unorthodox dialogue surrounding the project. A panel intimately acquainted with the Middle East was part of a focus group for the pilot, and edits based on the group's feedback continue to find their way into the series as it readies the final two episodes of the season. (The remaining episodes will be filmed in Turkey, with production displaced from Israel due to the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip.)

"We've been the beneficiaries of this dialogue," said Gordon. "And I suspect it's only the beginning of how fruitful that can be. This was just really good for us…and good for us as storytellers."